Colorado Pine Beetles Abiotic- Elevations from about 8000 feet to 10,000 feet- annual precipitation is from 25 to 30 inches- conditions vary widely, from dry, open-canopy forests with grassy undergrowth on open slopes and ridges to moist, closed-canopied stands dominated by numerous herbaceous plants in the canyons.
Animals and what they eat -
*Mountain Goat-grass, woody plants, and moss. *Moose-Fresh leaves, *Puma- Deer, rabbit, rodents, *Black Bear- twigs, roots, berries, buds, honey, fish, beetles, *Elk- grasses, bushes, bark, of trees, lichens, leaves, twigs *Deer-corn, acorns, nuts, leafs, grass, buds *Big Horn Sheep- grasses, clovers, sedges, sage, *Clarks Nutcracker-pine tree seeds, *Stellar Jay-scraps, carrion, reptiles, rodents, suet, berries, fruits, other bird eggs, nuts, seeds *Badgers- earthworms insects grub small mammals amphibians reptiles birds roots fruits, *Eagles- rodents rabbits birds reptiles carrion
*Beaver- herbivore *Bison- grass *Bobcat/wildcat/lynx- snowshoes rodents birds deer carrion *Raccoon- invertebrates plants *Fish-moss mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, larvae, small mollusks and baitfish. Fish eggs
Plants- Douglas-fir, white fir, limber pine, blue spruce, Quaking Aspen, Gamble oak, Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine Moss flora, cacti, wild buckwheat, prickly poppies, sagebrushes, the sunflower, peas, cactus, grasses such as Arizona fescue and mountain muhly and forbs such as lupine. Buckbrush, cliffrose, and apache plume, wildflowers, succulents, Lichens, snow flowers.
The Importance of the Alpine Forest:
If we lose the alpine forest to the pine beetle we can lose nearly all the oxygen in Northern America and all over the world and that’s why we cannot lose our trees to the pine beetle. Also, if we lose the alpine forest we may lose some species with it because the alpine forest provides shelter food and much more for the animals.
Threats:
There are threats, however. Airborne pollution, including acid rain, also threatens alpine areas. Acid rain has sterilized many mountain lakes, which often have little buffering capacity. Global warming may be the greatest threat, however. In addition to the loss of snow pack and its vital water, many mountains are refuges for cold-loving species which used to be found at much lower latitudes during periods of snow packing. As the snow starts to melt, these species were often forced to move up mountains to find suitable cold habitats. As the Earth warms, they may continue to move upwards, but because of the pointy shape of mountains there is fewer habitats in the higher altitudes, and once you reach the top of the mountain, where will they go?
Conservation Plan To conserve the Alpine forest we will need to kill the pine beetle without killing the forest.
This is some of the ways we can do it. · Forest Management - If you have a multiple age group forest, it will have a less chance of being infected by the Mountain Pine Beetle. Also, the re-planting of new trees ensure · Removal of infected trees - You must remove all infected trees by cutting them down and burning or burying them to ensure the beetle population does not rise. You can also remove the bark off of these trees but this may take awhile with large number of infected trees. Leave well spaced and healthy trees · Praying for a frigid winter - Very frigid weather during the winter, 30 degrees or below for 5 or more days, may kill some populations as well. · "Pheromone baiting - luring beetles into trees that have been ‘baited’ with a synthetic hormone that mimics the scent of a female beetle. Beetles can then be contained in a single area, where they can more easily be destroyed. " (http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/faq.htm#14) · Pesticide is not an option - they have not found one that proves to kill the Pine Beetle.
Colorado Pine Beetles
Abiotic- Elevations from about 8000 feet to 10,000 feet- annual precipitation is from 25 to 30 inches- conditions vary widely, from dry, open-canopy forests with grassy undergrowth on open slopes and ridges to moist, closed-canopied stands dominated by numerous herbaceous plants in the canyons.
Animals and what they eat -
*Mountain Goat-grass, woody plants, and moss.
*Moose-Fresh leaves,
*Puma- Deer, rabbit, rodents,
*Black Bear- twigs, roots, berries, buds, honey, fish, beetles,
*Elk- grasses, bushes, bark, of trees, lichens, leaves, twigs
*Deer-corn, acorns, nuts, leafs, grass, buds
*Big Horn Sheep- grasses, clovers, sedges, sage,
*Clarks Nutcracker-pine tree seeds,
*Stellar Jay-scraps, carrion, reptiles, rodents, suet, berries, fruits, other bird eggs, nuts, seeds
*Badgers- earthworms insects grub small mammals amphibians reptiles birds roots fruits,
*Eagles- rodents rabbits birds reptiles carrion
*Beaver- herbivore
*Bison- grass
*Bobcat/wildcat/lynx- snowshoes rodents birds deer carrion
*Raccoon- invertebrates plants
*Fish-moss mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, larvae, small mollusks and baitfish. Fish eggs
Plants- Douglas-fir, white fir, limber pine, blue spruce, Quaking Aspen, Gamble oak, Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine
Moss flora, cacti, wild buckwheat, prickly poppies, sagebrushes, the sunflower, peas, cactus, grasses such as Arizona fescue and mountain muhly and forbs such as lupine. Buckbrush, cliffrose, and apache plume, wildflowers, succulents, Lichens, snow flowers.
The Importance of the Alpine Forest:
If we lose the alpine forest to the pine beetle we can lose nearly all the oxygen in Northern America and all over the world and that’s why we cannot lose our trees to the pine beetle. Also, if we lose the alpine forest we may lose some species with it because the alpine forest provides shelter food and much more for the animals.
Threats:
There are threats, however. Airborne pollution, including acid rain, also threatens alpine areas. Acid rain has sterilized many mountain lakes, which often have little buffering capacity. Global warming may be the greatest threat, however. In addition to the loss of snow pack and its vital water, many mountains are refuges for cold-loving species which used to be found at much lower latitudes during periods of snow packing. As the snow starts to melt, these species were often forced to move up mountains to find suitable cold habitats. As the Earth warms, they may continue to move upwards, but because of the pointy shape of mountains there is fewer habitats in the higher altitudes, and once you reach the top of the mountain, where will they go?
Conservation Plan
To conserve the Alpine forest we will need to kill the pine beetle without killing the forest.
This is some of the ways we can do it.
· Forest Management - If you have a multiple age group forest, it will have a less chance of being infected by the Mountain Pine Beetle. Also, the re-planting of new trees ensure
· Removal of infected trees - You must remove all infected trees by cutting them down and burning or burying them to ensure the beetle population does not rise. You can also remove the bark off of these trees but this may take awhile with large number of infected trees. Leave well spaced and healthy trees
· Praying for a frigid winter - Very frigid weather during the winter, 30 degrees or below for 5 or more days, may kill some populations as well.
· "Pheromone baiting - luring beetles into trees that have been ‘baited’ with a synthetic hormone that mimics the scent of a female beetle. Beetles can then be contained in a single area, where they can more easily be destroyed. " (http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/faq.htm#14)
· Pesticide is not an option - they have not found one that proves to kill the Pine Beetle.
Attributions for the pictures
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/44700/44766/44766_puma.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/2100/2136/badger_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/2100/2147/beaver_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/28300/28307/bison_28307.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/5700/5700/black-bear_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/3100/3109/deer_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/3700/3750/eagle_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/2100/2160/elk_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/7600/7606/goat_7606.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/700/704/lynx_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/26900/26966/racoon_26966.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/5700/5709/mountain-sheep_1.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/26900/26980/rainbowtrout_26980.htm
http://www.realvail.com/images/realnews/2008beetlekillmap.png
http://www.backyardbutterflygarden.com/butterflies/aspen-tree.jpg
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/images/redforst.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/466205034_5d25ff8d6c_m.jpg
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/28400/28438/beetle_28438.htm